


Masquerade

by Runic



Series: Fire Emblem Explicit One Shots [6]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Cunnilingus, F/M, Love Confessions, Masks, Porn with Feelings, Smut, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 02:43:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21246185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Runic/pseuds/Runic
Summary: They were both nameless entities, unrestrained by duty or title. Tonight she was simply the woman in the emerald butterfly mask, and he was the man hidden behind the face of a golden deer. Tonight they were free to indulge in feelings they had long denied themselves.





	Masquerade

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift for my tumblr followers for hitting a follower mile stone. Just a way for me to say thank you to everyone who has been supportive and encouraging while I've been in this fandom. You are all amazing.
> 
> I tried editing this while super tired. I'm hoping I got everything, but I will go over it again later to double check. If I wasn't so excited to share it I would wait until tomorrow to post, but I am not a patient person.

The music swelled as the doors opened for her, allowing Byleth into the grand ballroom. People milled about, talking and laughing, all with masks over their faces. Her own mask was secured with a thick black ribbon, hiding her features beneath the green painted wings of a butterfly. Despite the masks, she recognized many of the party goers, not that she would ever point that out. There was an unspoken agreement between all invitees at events such as this that such things were not to be brought up. So, Byleth was free to lose herself in the crowd.

For tonight, she could lose herself, not giving a care to maintaining the carefully crafted reputation of archbishop Rhea had passed on to her. Byleth would throw off her metaphorical shackles. Tonight she did not have to be Byleth, Ruler of a United Fódlan. Tonight she could simply be the woman behind the butterfly mask.

People nodded and bowed to her, not the deep bow given to the archbishop, but one of polite greeting. They spoke and laughed with one another, and a few she could recognize seemed more carefree than usual, embracing the night in the same way she had. One section of the party was more boisterous in its laughter, and Byleth felt herself being drawn toward the noise. Joking with former Alliance nobles, was the group of the recently arrived Almyran delegation. They had come late, so that Byleth had not even had time to greet them before the party. Some of them had even allowed themselves to be pulled onto the ballroom floor, attempting the slower steps of a waltz than faster more rhythmic beats of what they were used to at an Almyran party. 

And there, at home in the center of the group, surrounded by people whose respect and praise he had won with charm and wit, was a man with bright green eyes. He wore a stag’s face, a web of magnificent golden antlers angling up and back so as not to give him too much trouble navigating through the crowd. It was not subtle at all, Byleth managed to think, even as her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. Nader was supposed to have led the party, not…

Well, she supposed that did not really matter tonight. They were both nameless entities, unrestrained by duty or title. He caught sight of her, and the world seemed to melt away. The green eyed man saluted her with his wine glass, before draining it quickly and slamming the golden cup against the tabletop he was leaning against. A quick word to his companions, mock outrage that he was leaving their company, and the man turned from them to head straight for her. 

Byleth stood rooted to the ground, feeling every inch a doe frozen in fright. It was unsettling. She had felt fear before, yes, but this, this was something else altogether. It tore at her nerves and caused an ache in her heart. This was not something she could plan for, it was not a situation in which any tactic came to mind to make her once more feel confident in her own abilities. Every step he took toward her was filled with assurance, that smile plastered across his face never faltering. 

“Hello there, pretty little butterfly.” His voice was silk as he stared down at her, those green eyes laughing at her. 

And with those words, Byleth’s fear melted away. She snorted in a rather undignified manner (Seteth would be appalled if he heard her), and shook her head. “That is a terrible opener.”

His brows raised in surprise before he joined in her laughter. “It was, wasn’t it? Well, perhaps the lady would allow me a second chance?” He caught her hand in his, raising it to brush his lips against her skin. His lips pressed a little too hard, and lingered just a little too long, to be proper. And oh, there went her breath again. That really needed to stop happening.

There was something between them, something Byleth could not name, but it created a tension she had felt one too many times lingering whenever the world faded to only them. It had been years since she felt it, years since she had seen him, and its reemergence caught her off guard. His question had given her control, and now everything waited on her answer. He waited, watching her with those too clever eyes. It was there in the way those eyes lost their laughter that Byleth knew if she let this chance pass she would never get another.

Her fingers wrapped around his hand, and she pulled him a step closer to her. It was a move that should the masks be removed would cause scandal in two kingdoms. But not tonight, Byleth reminded herself. This was so much more than she had expected from this party, and the longing that had built within her for years was roaring in her ears, drowning out any sense of reason or logic. 

“I could be persuaded, if your tongue is talented enough.”

His mouth dropped open, eyes widening in surprise. And then his whole body shook with laughter. “That I did not expect.” He was still laughing when he leaned down to whisper in her ear, his hot breath against her skin making her shiver. “We’ll need some place more private for that sort of introduction.”

Byleth nodded, and without another word, pulled her companion through the crowd of party goers. She knew if her heart could beat it would be pounding in her chest right now. There was still time to turn back, a small part of her brain whispered. There was still time to think of her position and her responsibilities. She ignored it. She wanted none of those things. Right now, she wanted the one thing she had so long ago denied herself in service to all those things larger than herself. 

He gave her a curious look when she lead him to a section of wall at the back of the chamber. Byleth pressed a finger to her lips, and with her back to the wall, using her body to hide what she was doing from her companion, lifted a foot to press against the stone. A section of wall sank in with a hiss. His eyes brightened, and with a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching, they quickly snuck into the hidden tunnel. 

They only traveled a few yards before they broke into peels of laughter. Byleth’s own quiet chuckle quickly turned into a gasp of surprise when her companion's hands went to her hips, pulling her against his body. He pulled her into a searing kiss, one Byleth was only too happy to sink into. She moaned, loving the way his tongue immediately sought entrance to her mouth. There was an awkwardness to it due to their masks clinking against each other, the cool porcelain digging into her cheeks as he tried to press himself even closer. He moved her back, pinning her to the wall without breaking their kiss. Every part of her screamed in desire for him, and if what she felt against her hip was what she thought it was, he felt the same. 

When he did pull away, Byleth groaned, hands reaching up to try and pull him back down. He chuckled softly and shook his head, leaning his forehead against her own. “Are you sure, butterfly?” he asked her. He tripped over the ‘b’ in butterfly, almost breaking the illusion between them. There was no denying they knew who the other was, but so long as those masks were in place, they could have this moment. They could allow themselves this singular night.

“Yes,” she breathed out. Her fingers traced along the edge of his jaw, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as his beard scratched her skin. “Yes,” she repeated. She would say it as many times as he needed to hear it. “Tonight all I want is for the world to fade away and have something wholly my own.”

“Oh?” His smirk returned, and once more Byleth felt like prey. “So I am yours then?”

“For tonight.” He allowed Byleth to brush her lips over his before he pulled back again, keeping his hands on her hips to prevent her from standing on tiptoe to reach his lips. That just wasn’t fair.

“Then I won’t feel guilty about doing this.” 

Byleth gasped as her skirt was pulled up, calloused hands tracing up the inside of her thighs. She did not care that her response was desperate and eager. This was something that could disappear with one misplaced word, and if it was over all too fast, then at least she could forever hold the experience within her cherished memories. She would replay it every night she spent alone, holding it close so she could never forget it.

Apparently deciding that he too had no time to waste, Byleth found herself gasping as his hand dipped into her panties. She spread her legs, practically preening as his hungry eyes raked over her body, lingering on her chest as it rose with each heavy draw of air into her lungs. She made him look like that. She made him lose his carefully constructed control.

She fell apart in his hands, not holding back anything as his fingers teased her clit. When he leaned in to attack her neck with his lips, gilded horns brushing against her jaw, Byleth gave him everything he wanted. Her moans echoed through the tunnel, encouraging him as he played her body.

His lips traveled down her neck and between her breasts, the heat of them searing her even through the heavy fabric of her dress. And then he was kneeling in front of her, holding her skirts out of the way with one hand even as he yanked her underclothes down around her ankles with the other. Byleth could not stop the cry that left her when his lips kissed her thighs, his teeth scraping over her only for more kisses to be placed against her mistreated flesh. 

Byleth grabbed onto the horns of his mask when his tongue finally touched her where she craved him to be, lapping up the desire already escaping from her. He hummed happily against her core, his tongue diving into her body as his hands reached around her legs to squeeze her ass. Her hips bucked, urging him deeper, a request her complied to with greed.

The crest of her pleasure came on embarrassingly quick, and Byleth found herself gasping for breath as her knees fought not to give out. He stood, grinning as that talented tongue poked out to lick at the slick that clung to his lips. His arms wrapped around her, holding her close as she recovered. 

“You must have really needed that,” he teased. Byleth felt his lips brush against the top of her head, chasing away any retort she had started to piece together. Instead she settled for taking his hand and dragging him further along the tunnel, not caring one bit for her thrown away undergarments they left behind.

By the time another door was closing behind them, Byleth barely remembered how they had left the tunnel and gotten to the guest room. Her mind was too filled with him to really pay attention to anything else. Their clothes were shed between heated kisses and lingering touches, each desperate to feel the other without a barrier between them. 

She laughed, soft and heavy, when the back of her knees hit the mattress and she was guided down. Throughout it all he seemed determined not to take his eyes off her face, watching for every little reaction. And she provided. Byleth had never before felt comfortable showing a high degree of emotion, but like so many other things, those rules did not apply tonight. With the mask obscuring half of her face, Byleth felt a freedom to show just how much her ability to express had grown over the years.

And he, more than anyone, deserved to see it.

Byleth shook her head, attempting to suppress that thought altogether. She ran the risk of ruining the moment if she continued to have thoughts like that. Instead she let herself sink deeper into pleasure, arching into his touch as his mouth traveled across her collar bone and toward her chest. As his mouth reached her breast, giving no reprieve as his lips eagerly took one of her nipples into his mouth, Byleth’s fingers tangled in his hair, trying to press him closer. His other hand ran up her side until it reached her other breast, kneading her sensitive flesh until she was squirming beneath him. 

He was wearing that pleased with himself smirk again when he slowly pulled away, placing a flurry of kisses across her breasts before sitting back up. His hands were on her hips, and Byleth regarded him with suspicion. There was a plan in those green eyes, and she was not sure where it would lead them.

She did not have to wonder long. He flipped her onto her side, laying down behind her. His chest was pressed against her back, his cock resting against the curve of her ass. Byleth flushed deeply as she realized why exactly he had chosen this position. Hanging on the opposite wall was a full length mirror, in which Byleth could see herself displayed for his enjoyment.

He chuckled in her ear, her body shivering in anticipation at the touch of his breath. “You look good like this,” he whispered. One of her legs was pulled back, and she held her breath as he lined up his cock with her entrance. He was so close to where she wanted, and yet his tight grip on her hips prevented Byleth from impaling herself upon his cock. 

“Careful,” she shot back. “If you don’t pay attention those horns of yours are going to get caught up in something.”

“Oh hush.” He kissed her cheek, lingering just a second too long for Byleth not to notice his own emotions caught up in the gesture. “I am grace incarnate.”

Byleth had a response for that. Truly, she did. But he thrust his hips, entering her slowly inch by inch. He was thick and filled her so full Byleth was not sure how she would accommodate all of him. She bit her lip to keep the mistake inside her mouth, where it could not escape into the world, and when he had buried himself inside her completely, she could only nod her answer when he asked if she was all right. 

He began to move in her, slowly at first, but it was not long before his thrusts began to pick up speed. Byleth, unable to take her eyes off the mirror, could see his face as he gazed down at her. There was a focus in those eyes, determined to bring her nothing but pleasure. As he adjusted his angle, thrusting even deeper into her, her hands reached for him, one finding his hair and the other his thigh, squeeze painfully tight. There was a flash in his eyes, of something she had run from years ago. Seeing it now broke something inside her.

Byleth moaned, the name slipping from her lips before she could stop it. The feel of him moving inside her was overwhelming, and that emotion in his eyes destroyed every guard she had put in place. And with that one word, the separate little world they had created for themselves shattered.

_ “Claude.” _

He was buried inside her completely when he stopped. Byleth felt every inch of Claude as he pulled out of her body, and it was as if she were losing a part of herself. She turned her head and bit the corner of the pillow to muffle her moan. Her eyes were shut, scrunched painfully tight. It was a distraction from the pain in her chest.

Claude’s warmth disappeared from her back, and Byleth’s chest heaved with a soundless sob. But he did not leave her. His warmth was still there, his hands moving her onto her back as he positioned himself above her. Reluctantly, Byleth opened her eyes to see Claude removing his mask, the stag’s face set aside to reveal his own. 

“What now, Byleth?” The words were soft, and yet Byleth fought the urge to flinch under their weight.

She did not move as Claude removed her own butterfly mask, tossing it aside next to the golden deer mask. “It’s over,” Byleth answered, her barely audible words a scream in the quiet that surrounded them. 

“It doesn’t have to be,” he countered. Claude supported his weight on both hands, those green eyes staring down at her. She felt...unmade by those eyes.

“Yes, it does.” She could not believe she had said his name. She had ruined everything. This night was supposed to be something for her to hold dear on cold nights, something to remind Byleth that she was more than the archbishop, that she possessed at least a shred of humanity. “The golden stag and the butterfly woman could have spent a night together, but the King of Almyra and the Archbishop of Fódlan cannot.”

Claude’s eyes narrowed. He had heard this argument before, heard it and rejected it. It seemed it would have to play out once more before they were done. “Why not?”

“Claude,” Byleth sighed, shaking her head more as an excuse to not have to meet those eyes than anything else.

“I asked you once before for this,” Claude rushed to cut her off. His warm hand grasped her chin, urging her to turn back to him. “Not for the illusion the masks offered us, but for this, for us to be together. I still want that, Byleth. I still want you. Tell me right now you don’t regret telling me ‘no’ and I’ll leave...not right this moment, because well…” Claude looked down between them where his erection rested against her hip, his eyebrows rising at the unspoken implication.

A strangled snort of laughter left Byleth’s throat. “Claude, I…” 

She couldn’t do it. More than anything else in her life, Byleth regretted sending Claude away that day. She had thought a relationship would be too difficult. They were still friends. Their nations were now allied, but anything more she had convinced herself would only be a distraction. And no matter how much she fought it, Byleth was miserable. “I can’t,” she admitted.

The corners of Claude’s lips tugged upward in a smirk, but he managed to hide it a moment later. “I still love you, Byleth. I want to be yours. I want to be yours for more than just tonight.”

It was too much. Every defense, every excuse, simply being near him destroyed them all. Her throat was tight, cutting off any words Byleth could use to respond, not that she could think of any. He had her heart. She had given it to him even as she had rejected him, and he had taken it with him to Almyra. With its return, all those emotions it had soaked up throughout the years abroad hit her like a mortal wound. If she denied him again, if she denied how much her heart yearned for him...how much she loved him, it would destroy her. 

Byleth wrapped her legs around Claude’s waist, urging him forward. Claude sucked in a sharp hiss of air through his teeth as the tip of his cock lined up with her entrance, but his eyes stayed on Byleth’s. She did not look away as she pulled him in, letting him see every moment of vulnerability she felt as he once more sheathed himself inside her.

“Stars, By,” Claude whispered, his voice hoarse as he began to thrust into her once more. “You feel wonderful.”

Byleth did not know how to answer that. So instead she reached out and pulled Claude down for a searing kiss, one filled with every word of love and desire she was not talented enough to voice. She rolled her hips against his, urging him on. _ I want all of you, _ she poured into the kiss. _ I want to give you everything you desire. _

Her hands tangled in his hair again as he pulled away, just enough to draw in breath, trying to keep him close. She could feel Claude smile against her skin as he kissed just below her bottom lip, and then her chin, and down her neck. She tugged at his hair, silently demanding his return to her lips. As nice as they were against other parts of her, Byleth wanted to feel Claude’s lips on her own at that moment. And he was only too happy to obey.

Claude swallowed her moan as he reached between them, his thumb rubbing against her clit. Byleth arched into him, trapping his hand between their bodies. Claude pulled away from her lips at the last moment, letting Byleth’s cry of pleasure echo throughout the room. He did not have long to gloat. Byleth’s walls were tight around him, impossibly warm. Claude’s eyes squeezed shut as he tried to focus, only managing a couple more unsteady thrusts before his own orgasm overtook him, spilling his seed inside Byleth’s body.

There was a moment (or an eternity, Byleth was not sure which) as they both caught their breath, Byleth moaning softly as Claude pulled out of her. She immediately missed the feel of him filling her. Claude collapsed onto the bed next to her, his face contorting in pain. Byleth propped herself up on her elbows, her eyes asking what was wrong. Claude reached behind him and came back with his deer mask, the antlers having stabbed him in the back when he tried to lay down. Byleth simply shook her head and laid back down.

Claude threw the mask behind him once more, and by the sound of porcelain skidding across tile, it did not sound like it had survived its impact with the floor. He reached behind him once more and brought her butterfly mask up to his face. “You know,” he drawled in a tone that made Byleth weary, “when I first saw this color I thought it looked familiar.” He smirked down at her, and Byleth felt the blush rising in her cheeks. “Do you think this green matches my eyes?”

Of course it did. They were the exact same shade. Byleth would never give him the pleasure of acknowledging it though. She snatched the mask away and tossed it to the foot of the bed, letting her own body weight force Claude down onto the mattress as she rolled on top of him. “You know, for someone who enjoys teasing so much, I wonder if you can take it so well in turn.”

Those green eyes blazed as Claude stared up at her. He moved to place his hands on her hips, but Byleth grabbed both his wrists and slammed them onto the mattress above his head. “What’d you have in mind?” Claude purred, the effect losing some of its charm with how horse his voice was at the sight of her above him.

A small grin, similar to Claude’s own smirk, crossed Byleth’s face. Her mask was gone, and there was no one else here to please besides the person who would be pleased most if she were simply herself. There would be a time and a place for the mask, but not here, not tonight.

And not for many others to come.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you again for all your support guys. I love you all of you!


End file.
